Broadside 2026 (show report)

Broadside 2026

Held at the Medway Park Sports Center, Gillingham, Kent on Saturday 13th June.

My wife has a lot of family in the Medway Towns area and we as a result we visit the area several times during the year. Now I had read about this show in the wargames press and online and have tried for years to try and get my Debbie to plan a trip home to coincide with the show dates - well this year i finally made it 😁  

The sports center is situated very close to the Royal Engineer`s Museum, so if one is so inclined you could combine the two to make a great day out. I haven`t been to the museum for a few years, but well worth the effort:

https://baberonwargames.blogspot.com/2021/09/royal-engineers-museum-chatham-kent.html

Gate guardian - Chieftain AVRE

The venue was well sign posted and the staff very pleasant, entry cost 4 pounds for adults (children and wives FREE if accompanied by a paying adult).

Nice big airy hall with traders spread out along the sides and games plus the bring and buy in the center. A lot of the traders were selling Sci fi, fantasy stuff or Bolt Action stuff; there were also people selling various types of  terrain, plus books, board games, etc. Bur for quite a few years now I`ve been very controlled about my spending, so only visited two traders, that stalwart of the UK show scene - Andy Grubb (Britannia Miniatures) and Newline Designs. I was also looking for a 20mm T-26 and found what I was looking for on the stall of a new name to me - Battlezone Miniatures

There were some fantastic games om show, all sorts of periods and eras.

Of course I was drawn to the C20th games and spoke to the guys running these at length, the quality of the games was high and everyone was enthusiastic and happy to explain their games and the modeling involved.

The center of the hall was dominated by a spectacular D-Day "Sword Beach" set-up in 15mm by Milton Hundreds Wargames Club

Whilst chatting to the guys, they said how busy things were and they were hoping to expand into the smaller hall next door for next year! We all commented how maybe the demise of our hobby might not be so as soon as people in the gaming press (and online) keep saying 😀

The next game I spent time over was a 6mm Austrian/Serbian clash at the start of WW1 by the "Dad`s Armies" group. The guy explained they were all young fathers with young kids who were trying by forming their group to keep their sanity 😀They were using Great War Spearhead rules which i admitted I had not tried, but was familiar with them through the blog and posts of SOTCW stalwart Robin Sutton.

Next up was a 20mm game using Rapid Fire Reloaded by Deal Wargames Association - the Polish raid on Fraustadt, 2 September 1939.

A really nice set-up and an interesting historic scenario. The guys were very willing to chat and enthusiastic about the game and the rules. It was very nice to finally meet and chat to Adrain White who`s work I follow on Facebook and who in person was as nice as he is online.

Last, but by no means least a naval game using Gods of War: Togo rules by Tonbridge Wargames Club. Now I was not familiar with the rules, produced by Polish company, but I have dabbled with the period: Russo-Japanese War 1904/05 and was actually reading yet another eye witness account during that weekend. The small ships looked excellent and the guys were very happy with the company and their products.

Whilst I qwas taking photos a guy asked me if I was into this period, I had to confess I`ve been reading about the landwar, but did have set of rules by David Manley (my goto guy for everything boat related). The gentleman the said he was familiar with David`s work through the glossies and SOTCW Journal, I was wearing an SOTCW shirt!! He asked me my name and shook my hand introducing himself as Bernard Geraghty a regular contributor to the society magazine for a number of years - small world isn`t it. We then had a lomg chat about the society, my blog and living in Spain.

My purchases

Three different Britannia carriers

Britannia Sikhs & British infantry

Newline designs C19th Gurkhas

Battlezone Miniatures T-26

Only some minor irritations: Newline didn`t have their plains Indians (rectified by a quick online order) and Andy Grubb didn`t have his Bersaglieri, which again will be sorted once he answers my email.

All-in-all a nice day out, great to catch up with some people I haven`t seen in years and put faces to names I only know from correspondence or the internet.